That Which Ties Us Together
by aerie-art
Summary: Love can traverse all boundaries. Or so they say. You can't chose who you love. Byakuya reflects on his journey through his feelings, for his loyalties, his family, and his new found love. Byakuya-centric. Fem!Ichigo. Partially AU.


**A/N: Hello and Greetings! I wasn't sure whether to publish this or not, so I'm not quite sure where to go with this. It started as something completely different, and then as I typed it began to change into some sort of character reflection. So I'm not quite sure over the overall quality of this fanfiction. Sorry if it isn't the best, or even remotely "alright" for that matter. So anyway, I hope ya'll partially enjoy it. **

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He noticed her almost immediately, the seductress with the bright orange hair, long in its length, but hidden in an elaborate, braided bun. Her smoldering eyes were a rich amber color, hiding a promised innocence deep within. She was tall, with long, creamy legs that promised a show of seduction and innocence.

And yet he knew that such a look on such a girl was nearly impossible. She was barely thirteen years old, just a child in his world and her own. She was innocent, yes, and that is how he wanted to keep her. His innocent beauty, secretly seductive, promising a sweet fruit unlike any other.

He was on a regular mission, deigned usually for lower-ranking Soul Reapers who were just beginning to leave their safety nest of the first few Rukongai Districts and the Seireitei itself. However unfortunately the unranked member of the Sixth Division who was supposed to be assigned to this town was killed in a Hollow attack while visiting his family in the lower Districts.

So he, Byakuya Kuchiki, himself went to the Human World to complete the mission in his dead subordinate's stead. Something about honoring his subordinate's family or something along those lines. The proud Head of the Kuchiki Clan, the powerful Captain of the Sixth Division, was doing the grunt work of some lowly Soul Reaper.

But as soon as he laid eyes on the beauty, his grumblings about the pathetic mission began to end. He soon followed her every move, only leaving her side to destroy Hollows. He himself did not understand his attraction to the fiery, yet timid, young little mouse. He was forced to remind himself that she was mortal, and he a Soul Reaper, and that they could never be together, and that even if she did die, her memories would be non-existent. Pointless.

But he sensed a dark power deep within this girl. He noticed her flinches at the slightest shadow, the way her head would turn in warning, in the same direction a Hollow would appear minutes later. He watched her, closely with his gray orbs, trying to defy fate, that perhaps she was Hisana reborn, and she was his eternally.

But he sensed a difference in her soul resonation. Her soul hummed differently than Hisana's had. Hisana's had been a quiet lullaby, gentle and codling. Hers, his bright orange-haired angel, hers resonated in a deep, passionate song. It entranced him, with the lilting tune occasionally giving way to the quick beats of a war dance, before becoming timid and nearly-silent once again. It promised a girl unlike any other.

She was not Hisana reborn, but she was her own person. He hadn't felt this…intrigue…since he met his Hisana in the lower districts of the Seireitei, where she was apprenticing a merchant, trying her hardest to raise money to find and eventually send for her sister.

_Rukia. _He remembered. His imouto had never met her onee-sama before. She wasn't even aware that she and he were actually related. Sister-in-law. He had wanted to call her that so often. His little imouto, who he was secretly (or stoically) proud over. She was the light in his dim world, though he could never admit such a thing. He stared at the girl he had come to know in these months of protecting her, and her town, and promised himself that as soon as he returned to the Soul Society, he would tell Rukia the truth. He would call her Sister-in-Law, his true imouto, and he would pat her head and tell her "I'm proud, imouto-chan," and leave before he would have to see her crying, either tears of joy or agony or anger (he didn't want to know which ones).

A simple, mundane little thirteen-year-old girl did this to him. Forced him to recognize himself as the regular person he was. How, if he was stripped of his scarf and his kenseikan (and given the chance of a normal life, neither that of a noble nor a Soul Reaper), how he would be simply Byakuya. He stared at her, watching once again as she stared at her mother's grave. A lonely soul, much like himself.

_You must tell someone your feelings before it is too late. _Byakuya knew this all too well. He had rarely expressed his love and desire for Hisana. He finally told her those three simple words most women crave, "I love you," on her deathbed. His Hisana…she had never once inquired about his love or devotion towards her. She accepted his stoicism, his quiet and hidden feelings, with that of patience and love.

Byakuya wouldn't let Rukia become another Hisana. _Law before Love. _No more. His family…Rukia…would be his world now…and Soul Society, while still his beloved homeland, would remain as Number Two…still important enough to protect…but only because it housed his beloved people.

For months he continued to watch the girl. He followed her pattern, and every Sunday she would visit her mother's tomb (a secret hidden from her family), and he would be there, the invisible hand upon her shoulder. Her secret comfort in her world of blame and hurt. She didn't even quite realize it, but she enjoyed visiting the cemetery, if only for the feeling of peace and calm that washed away her guilt (if only for a short while). But he did. He noticed her no longer tread mournfully towards the graves, but instead lovingly cared for her mother's tomb, and was even speaking to her mother in low tones that resonated with love and pain, mixed so mournfully that it broke Byakuya's heart; for that is how Hisana sounded, before she died, mourning with love over her lost sister.

Mourning.

Love.

Hurt.

Pain.

Agony.

He continued to watch her, gentle with his intrigue, careful not to overstep his boundaries. He would watch from a distance. He refused to disobey the laws of his world. He refused to be branded as a traitor. He refused to let his imouto live in the cruelty of the world alone, without her knowing how he felt for her. She was not just some adopted sister, not just some random street rat he pitied. She was his true sister. She was Hisana's sister. She was a Kuchiki. She was Rukia Kuchiki. She…was his light. She kept him sane, with Hisana's gentle countenance yet her own passionate (behind screened doors) personality that screamed defiance and loyalty towards not the Society they served together, but towards her dear friends (that Abarai who looked at his imouto-chan with disguised seduction that only Byakuya could see; he knew how his Lieutenant felt, and if his sister felt the same, Byakuya would allow the two to court ((only after threatening Abarai)) and making positive that Abarai would not harm his sister, naturally.)

Weeks, months, and finally a year treaded past. It went to quickly for Byakuya's taste, for he had come to see the girl as someone close, though she would never know him, neither in this life or the next. In a week's time…his mission would end. He would return to the Soul Society…return to his mundane tasks…return to doing his paperwork at his desk instead of in the strange apartment he rented. He would return to his world, where he was born and raised, and his orange-haired girl, who was now fourteen, would remain in her birth world. She would stay here until the day she died, and then move on to the Soul Society, where she would change into her true form (her Soul) and would lose her memories. He might find her resonance and remember it, and manage to befriend the girl.

But that was impossible for him. For as much as he denied it, he couldn't forget just exactly who he was. He was Byakuya Kuchiki. He…is…Byakuya Kuchiki. When he returned to the Soul Society he would cease to be _this _Byakuya Kuchiki, the one who had slowly fallen for a mortal girl. He would return to his old self, with only the knowledge of a summer's dream worth of this girl. He would, he promised himself, to tell Rukia. Everything.

Everything. Including his orange-haired angel he hoped he could meet in the next world.

For love knows no bounds, and is that which ties us together.

_Forgive me Hisana, for I have found another to be tied to..._

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__**A/N: Well. Okay. Firstly, before anyone throws a fit, let me explain a few things.  
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**1. Soul resonation. Okay, yes, I totally used that term from Soul Eater. Problem? Good. I just wanted to explain how Byakuya doesn't see her as Hisana or someone to replace Hisana. How he sees her as her own person, how she has her own personality and her own dreams and ambitions. And how he slowly falls for her because of it.  
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**2. Ichigo can see spirits, duh! Don't care. My fanfiction. In this fanfiction, for now anyway, she can see regular souls with chains, and she can hear and/or sense other spiritual things (like Hollows) however she can't quite see Soul Reapers yet, they are on another field of power and "resonation" than regular souls. So she can't see, but can sense in a way, when Byakuya comforts her.  
**

**3. Ichigo's personality. I feel like Fem!Ichigo is a lot calmer than regular Ichigo. It depends on the author and the fanfiction. In this fanfic, she is still upset, and grieving, over her mother's death and feels guilty over it, so she's a bit of a recluse and a bit timid.  
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**Okay! So how was it? Please review and tell me that it should A.) remain as a oneshot, B.) have a sequel or perhaps C.) turn it into a multi-chapter story. I'm not quite sure if I can go any further with this if it is B or C. Simply because it has been awhile since I have read and/or watched Bleach and because I have no idea for a plot development. Thanks for reading! **


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